Severe Weather

2 poodles found in hot car in Canton; 1 dead

Employees at a hotel in Baltimore's popular Canton section found a pair of dogs who had been left inside a hot car for 19 hours on Saturday afternoon, but by the time help arrived, one dog was already dead.

Police said Sharon Mulcahy, 62, checked into the Best Western in Canton around 7 p.m. Friday, telling the employees she had an emergency. It wasn't until about 2:45 p.m. Saturday that a security guard discovered her car in the parking lot with the two poodles trapped inside.

Temperatures were already soaring when security officer Gerald Brooks arrived for work around noon Saturday. He said a co-worker discovered the dogs just as he was getting into work.

"One dog was moving around. He was basically on the floorboard under the steering wheel, and the other dog was lying in the front seat," Brooks told 11 News reporter Sarah Sampson.

Police said the car's front passenger window was open about 2 inches, but the 91-degree day was too much for the dog in the front seat, a 6-year-old named Missy, who was already dead. Brooks said he immediately called police, who arrived in time to save the second poodle, a 10-year-old named Bear, who was in the only space in the car that had shade.

Brooks said when he saw Bear, the dog was clearly suffering.

"The dog was frightened. He was nervous -- stressed. He drank some water, but then he just stood back and he was, you know, stressed," he said.

Police said the inside of the car was covered in fecal matter.

Detectives said they found Mulcahy in the laundry room of the hotel. She told them she arrived at the hotel with her "bowels overflowing." According to the police report, Mulcahy told officers that she knew that it was hot outside and that she intended to go back to the car to get the animals out, but she instead went to sleep.

"She told police that she would go down regularly to check on the dogs, but, obviously, she didn't go down enough," Baltimore police spokesman Anthony Guglielmi said.

Mulcahy was arrested and charged with multiple misdemeanor counts of animal cruelty.

"We're obviously talking to the dog owner. She seems devastated herself. It's a tragic situation all around, but at the end of the day, you just can't do that to animals," Guglielmi said. "You have to have respect for animals. You have to care for animals, and they should have been put in better conditions than what they were left in."

A representative for the Baltimore Animal Rescue and Care Shelter confirmed Bear was being treated there, is doing well and is ready for adoption.

The hotel does not allow pets inside.

How to spot heat stroke in your animal

Animal experts said the story is all too common in the summer heat. Dr. Kim Hammond of Falls Road Animal Hospital said on a typical summer day, it takes less than one minute for the temperature inside a sealed car to reach more than 100 degrees. He said even if the car windows are cracked, it doesn't make much difference.

"Dogs don't have sweat glands. When you touch their skin, they don't sweat. It's not wet. They only sweat a little bit in their nose and in their paws, so it's like being in a sauna," Hammond said.

Owners should never leave their dogs unattended in a car in the summer, but no matter where a dog is, Hammond said people should watch out for signs of heat stroke.

"You know your dog is having a problem if their tongue is sticking out. Their tongues will actually swell -- it will almost look like a little spoon. They'll get blood-red mucus membranes, and they'll be panting excessively," he said.

Anyone who sees those symptoms should get their dog to a cool place immediately and give it some water. Also, call your vet.

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